Weekly Columns Archives - Philip J Milton & Company Plc

ISA reform looks likely – but no details as yet!

A shake-up of Cash ISAs seems on the cards as the Government has given its clearest indication yet that it is looking to reform the system. That’s a good thing as it will encourage people to see ‘investing’ as different from ‘saving’! As reported by online financial news platform Citywire, City Minister Emma Reynolds has...

Inflation slows but is it the calm before the storm?

While the news inflation slowed in March to 2.6% is welcome and an interest rate cut is widely expected next month, it may simply be a brief glow of light to ward off the spectre of ‘stagflation’ a little longer. The recent quakes from Trump’s tariffs have subsided for now and some analysts are upbeat...

‘Low key’ Spring Statement contained few surprises

The Chancellor’s Spring Statement did not contain a great deal we hadn’t already heard and no immediate prospects for economic growth. In a relatively low key affair, Rachel Reeves set out her latest update on the economy and restated plans to cut the welfare budget as well as making cuts to Government departments, as we...

What is likely to happen in today’s Spring Statement?

The Spring Statement is ‘not a Budget’ says the Chancellor as she prepares to unveil her plans for the UK economy in Parliament today (Wednesday). Rachel Reeves has already pledged she will not be raising taxes, saying this would only happen with ‘one financial event a year’ – the Autumn Budget but measures announced will...

State Pension booster deadline is looming

Time is running out for anyone who wants to boost their State Pension by paying for any missing National Insurance years, Martin Lewis has warned. People aged between 40 and 73 have until just April 5 this year to plug any gaps in their NI payments by buying missing years going back to 2006. After the...

What does US inflation mean for the UK?

Inflation in the United States rose more than expected last month to 3% - exactly the same rate as here in the UK, funnily enough! ‘Unpredictable’ best describes the start of Donald Trump’s presidency as his proposed tariffs on imported goods look likely to push up prices for American consumers. The rate of inflation ‘over there’...

Are Cash ISAs under threat from the Chancellor?

Regular readers of this column will know we are not entirely (or certainly not universally) in favour of Cash ISAs simply because the balance of interest rates versus inflation means you can effectively be ‘losing’ money by having many thousands sat in an ISA ‘doing nothing’ as well as letting inflation eat it away. Saving...

Is ‘stagflation’ looming and what can you do about it?

Interest rates have been cut to 4.5% as expected but with low economic growth, higher unemployment and price rises, some analysts fear we are heading for a period of ‘stagflation’. First coined in the 1960s, the term simply means economic stagnation on the one hand and inflation on the other, which is neither beneficial to...

Equity release – is it in your best interest?

Equity release – or remortgaging your home – saw a surge in popularity at the end of 2024, latest figures have revealed. The Equity Release Council says there was an increase in lending of £622million in the last quarter of the year, up 16% on the year before, although the figure for the total year...

Don’t become trapped in limbo with estate planning

One of the more common financial ‘problems’ that we see all too often is the fallout from administering an estate when someone passes away. That’s not to say there is any strife within the family or a dispute over the estate but simply that the process is excruciatingly slow and really does not need to...

ISA reform looks likely – but no details as yet!

Inflation slows but is it the calm before the storm?

‘Low key’ Spring Statement contained few surprises

What is likely to happen in today’s Spring Statement?

State Pension booster deadline is looming

What does US inflation mean for the UK?

Are Cash ISAs under threat from the Chancellor?

Is ‘stagflation’ looming and what can you do about it?

Equity release – is it in your best interest?

Don’t become trapped in limbo with estate planning

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Philip J Milton & Company Plc

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